Sous vide burger sliders are easy to make, with very little prep, and will result in the most flavorful, juicy burgers you’ve ever had!

Last week I joined my friends at Cox Communications in Baton Rouge for another “Cox Smart Home” event. I spent the day in the kitchen sharing tips and tricks for how to make your kitchen “smart” by incorporating WiFi enabled devices and appliances into your cooking.

One of the WiFi enabled devices in the smart home kitchen was the Anova WiFi enabled sous vide. I used this device at past events to make Steak Crostini‘s to share with guests of the event, but this time I decided to switch things up!

Since it is football season in Baton Rouge, I decided to serve some of my favorite game day recipes, like Slow Cooker Green Chili Queso Dip and Football Shaped Nutella Rice Krispie Treats. I then decided to make sliders in the sous vide, because they’re perfect for tailgating! Prep the sliders and toss them in the sous vide, remove them from the sous vide, take them to the tailgate, then give them a quick sear on the grill and you’ve got the most delicious and juicy sliders you’ve ever had in your life!

The Onion Fried Burger is a popular Oklahoma recipe combining half ground beef and half grilled onions for a deliciously flavorful burger recipe!

If you’ve never been to Oklahoma, you probably haven’t had an Onion Fried Burger. This delicious burger came about during the Great Depression when ground beef was expensive and onions were cheap. A burger joint in El Reno, Oklahoma created this burger, originally called “The Depression Burger”.

What was originally created as a means to survive the great depression, turned into one of my favorite burgers of all time!

Ground beef and spicy chorizo are combined in these grilled nacho sliders that are topped with queso dip, salsa and jalapeños!

Being born and raised an Oklahoma girl, there’s not much I love more than a cheeseburger and queso dip.

In Oklahoma if you order queso, you’re basically ordering a nacho cheese dip. I found out very quickly when I moved to San Diego that California Mexican restaurants consider queso something totally different.

I’m very fortunate to have a brother who I share so many interests with! While my focus is food, his focus is politics, but we both enjoy being involved in each, and most of all we both hope to combine the two in the future to change the health of our great nation!

We’re both passionate about nutrition, food, fitness, running and other various forms of exercise, although he hasn’t quite gotten on board with my yoga obsession yet 🙂

While generally I’m the creator of recipes in the family, last week my brother did me proud by winning the “Create a Burger Contest” at his local Washington DC watering hole, Thunder Burger and Bar. Being the coffee aficionado he is, he created a coffee crusted burger topped with sautéed mushrooms, gouda cheese and toasted almonds. He appropriately named it “The Bond Burger”.

The combination was so intriguing I knew I had to make it for myself and share it on the blog!

Ingredients (makes 2 – 1/2 lb. burgers)

1/4 cup ground coffee

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp steak seasoning

1 lb ground beef

3 tbsp olive oil (divided)

1/2 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms

2 slices gouda cheese

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2 square focaccia buns

Begin by combining the coffee, salt and steak seasoning in a shallow bowl.

Next, form the ground beef patties and add to the coffee crusting.

Yes, my patties are square. It’s an ongoing joke with my family and friends because my name is frequently mistaken for “Wendy” instead of Whitney, so I posted this photo on my Instagram.

Everyone found it so hilarious that I knew the next time I made cheeseburgers, they had to be square!

Now back to business! Coat the burgers on all sides and edges with the coffee.

Next, prepare the sautéed mushrooms by placing them in a skillet with 2 tbsp olive oil.

Cook until brown and fragrant.

Bring the mushrooms, burgers, cheese and buns to your grilling area.

Place the burgers on the grill for 7-10 minutes.

Flip and grill for an additional 7-10 minutes. (Thank you to my “taste tester” PK for the action pics!)

While the burgers are grilling, place the almonds on a baking sheet and into a 350° oven for 15 minutes.

When the burgers are grilled within 1-2 minutes of your temperature choice, place the mushrooms on top.

Then top with the Gouda cheese.

Brush the buns with the additional tbsp of olive oil and place on the grill for 1-2 minutes.

Remove the burgers and buns then top with the toasted almonds.

I served the burger with a spinach salad topped with almonds and tomatoes.

Such an interesting twist on a traditional cheeseburger!

My brother definitely knows what he’s doing!

Now it’s time to dig in!

And for the close up…

The combination of the strong coffee flavor with the smoky gouda cheese and savory sautéed mushrooms was awesome!

Thank you to Tyler Bond for doing the family name proud and coming up with this awesome and oh-so-delicious “Bond Burger”!!!

♣ Vegetarian Option: Replace the hamburger patty with a veggie or soy patty to make this dish vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Replace the focaccia bun with a gluten-free bun or simply discard the bun and go “protein style” to make this dish gluten-free.

In San Diego there is an ongoing debate in the city, not about politics or the environment, but simply about where to find the best burger. The two contenders are Hodad’s and… that other burger joint in Pacific Beach.

For the honesty of journalism I will say that I have never eaten at “that other place in PB”. My theory is if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, in this case, if you find the perfect burger, why go anywhere else!

It’s not even so much the burger though, it’s the combination of a piled high juicy burger with a side of thick and crispy homemade fries and freshly battered onion rings. And oh yeah, the ringer, the chocolate milkshake which is flown down by little angels from Heaven every time one is ordered. Yes, that is how amazing this milkshake is.

It’s chocolate ice cream with chocolate milk with chocolate syrup, blended up and topped with more chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup.

Do I look happy here?

Blissful maybe? I think ecstatic would be the word I’m looking for. And who wouldn’t be with this deliciousness in front of you!

Yes, that is two spoons you see. I actually shared this little piece of Heaven with my Mom.

After all, I did have to save some room for the real deal, THE San Diego cheeseburger.

This is the MINI bacon cheeseburger. Yes, Mini. There is also a single and a double with the increase in size to boot.

Don’t be fooled, I have taken down a double before, but with the double there is generally no room left in the belly for the scrumptious sides, and that is just a crime.

Although I may not go for the “can’t even wrap your mouth around the whole burger” double, I definitely don’t skimp on the toppings. Delicious American cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and their thick cut white onions, which takes me to my next topic of discussion, the almighty onion rings.

I will admit, I did some Onion Ring battering during my 9 month stint of working at Sonic when I was 16. It’s not a fun job, but it has to be done to get those super fresh, never frozen, crispy bites of delicious fried onion.

See what’s hiding below that massive pile of crisp onion goodness, yeah that would be their fresh-cut fries. Thick cut, well seasoned and, you guessed it, delicious!

Don’t just take my word for it. My man Guy thought it was pretty good too! So good, that he did a little show about it. Maybe you’ve heard of it, Triple D, AKA Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.

THE San Diego Cheeseburger originated in Ocean Beach at the first Hodad’s location. Since then they have opened a second location in Downtown San Diego. Now, I’m all for expanding successful businesses but I will admit I was weary of trying out the “non-orignal” Hodad’s.

Would it be the same? Would those little angels be able to find the new location to drop down my heavenly milkshake? Was there something about the ocean air coming in off the beach that made the burger so juicy and fries so crispy?

I can now say for a fact that the downtown location is just as good as the original, the little angels found it just fine and you can expect the juiciness, crispiness and same friendly-in-a-bad-ass-sort-of-way service that you expect at Hodad’s!

Visit the original Hodad’s at 5010 Newport Ave. Ocean Beach CA 92107 or Hodad’s Downtown at 945 Broadway Avenue San Diego CA 92101. You can alsovisit them online at hodadies.com. Dig in and enjoy!

Hi, I'm Whitney! I’m a sports-loving, coffee-drinking, food blogger, the host of “ 29 Minute Meals”, a contributing writer for TODAY Food, cookbook author and on camera food and lifestyle expert, regularly featured on news stations across the country! On my blog, you’ll find most recipes are made in 29 minutes or less, in one pot, or in a crock pot! Learn More